The present invention was first described in Disclosure Document Registration filed under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7122 and 37 C.F.R. xc2xa71.14. There are no previously filed, nor currently any co-pending applications, anywhere in the world.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing knives and, more particularly, to a reciprocating blade fillet style knife having a buoyant handle housing and integrated flashlight.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent history, one improvement on conventional knife designs, the electric knife, has revolutionized the field by providing a knife having a reciprocating blade driven by an electric motor. Greatly reducing the amount of work required of the user, the electric knife turns monumental tasks such as turkey carving into a simple chore. Typically requiring the availability of an electric outlet, the use of these devices has been limited, however, to kitchens and other in-home applications. Additionally, when hunting or fishing it is often the case that multiple tools, such as a flashlight, are required in a manner that carrying multiple tools can be cumbersome and awkward. Still another need arises when on the water in that the accidental dropping of ANY tool will likely result in its permanent loss.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related.
The following patents disclose the ornamental design for an electric peeler;
U.S. Pat. No. D344,429 issued in the name of Conroy;
U.S. Pat. No. D254,048 issued in the name of Hauenstein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,875 issued in the name of Dolah describes a battery-powered coring device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,884 issued in the name of Torbet discloses a handholdable automatic balded appliance with rechargeable properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,030 issued in the name of Ruston Sr. describes a variable speed fillet knife.
U.S. Pat. No. D421,367 issued in the name of Naft et al. discloses the ornamental design for an electric knife.
U.S. Pat. No. D348,184 issued in the name of Neshat et al. describes the ornamental design for an electric fillet knife handle and base.
And, U.S. Pat. No. D347,145 issued in the name of Neshat et al. discloses the ornamental design for an electric knife handle.
While some features of providing an electric knife having a reciprocating blade that is driven by a rechargeable battery driven power supply adjustable may be incorporated into this invention as well as in other related references, other elements in combination are different enough as to make the combination distinguished over these related references.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to indicate a device of the type disclosed above which avoids the disadvantages inherent in the state of the art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electric knife having interchangeability of the various blades, in combination with the in-handle storage feature to provide safety as well as convenience.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, an electric knife having a reciprocating blade that is driven by a rechargeable battery driven power supply. This lightweight, portable design, opens the doors to a variety of uses that are otherwise impossible with conventional cord powered models. Especially handy for fishermen and other outdoor users, the knife includes a variety of use specific blades such as filleting blades, utility blades and carving blades that allow the user to perform a multitude of tasks with ease and precision.